More of Southern California

California is a big, and there’s only so much you can do in seven days. My first time there was mostly spent in “SoCal,” as they call this area.

After we had ticked Disneyland and Universal Studios off our list, my friend’s cousin volunteered to spend his “half-day off” from school with us by driving us to Long Beach.

We headed to City Beach near Belmont Shore to walk along the breakwater, enjoy the sun, watch the seagulls, and admire the view. I found an iconic California landscape with the palm trees towering over the long stretch of soft sand filled with California sun-worshippers doing what they love – swimming, sunbathing, sailing, kayaking, jogging, playing volleyball, rollerblading.

We checked out the Belmont Pier that extends into the Pacific Ocean, offering panoramic views of the coastline, shipping traffic, and the city. Nearby is a bustling street filled with shops and restaurants.

Then, we went for to lunch at Planet Hollywood, a very trendy place back then. This themed restaurant chain inspired by Hollywood was the cool place to dine in when in the United States, during our time. It was at its peak in the 90s, with more than 60 worldwide locations and there was one in SoCal.

But like the slew of themed restaurants that sprung during this decade, the hype just came from its novelty. It was fun see Hollywood memorabilia on display and read cheeky-named dishes, but the food itself was mediocre and overpriced. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our burgers, fries, and the “world-famous chicken crunch,” which was basically just chicken tenders breaded with a sweet coating and came with Creole mustard. But we were really there for the Hollywood nostalgia and not the food, so we took a lot of photos inside.

(Update: Planet Hollywood filed for bankruptcy in 1999. Today, there are only two restaurants left - one in New York City and one at Disney Springs in Florida. On the other hand, Hard Rock Café, it’s contemporary, is still very much around.)

After lunch, my friend’s cousin dropped us off at the mall, where our other school mate (the one who went to Disneyland with us) picked us up with his cousin for a drive around downtown Los Angeles. It was more or less like a private city tour, but instead of a hop-on-hop-off bus, we were on his cousin’s flashy sports car.  Afterwards, we had pizza dinner and they dropped us off at my friend’s aunt house to call it a night.

It was a whirlwind trip to California, but it had been a fun taste of California life.

My next visit there was more than ten years after the first one. I was already living in Canada that time, and my brother and his family had settled in San Bernardino, in Southern California. My husband and I visited them before we permanently left Vancouver and moved to the East Coast.

The trip was more of family visit than a tour. We wanted to spend time with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece, but since they also love to travel, it ended up to be a combination of both.

For the first few days, we first stayed at their apartment and neighbourhood, just going to nearby malls, supermarkets, and restaurants and getting familiar with their usual haunts. Then we went long driving with them to Nevada and Arizona and when we got back, my husband and I stayed at a hotel in Anaheim for a three-day Disneyland/Disney California Adventure excursion, while my brother and sister-in-law got busy with moving into their new home.

They actually didn’t tell us about it. When my brother picked us up from Anaheim, he drove us back to their new house and my sister-in-law and niece welcomed us with a, “Surprise! Welcome to our new house!”  We literally “baptized” their guest room, as we were their first overnight guests after less than a week of them moving in. We spent the last few days exploring their new neighbourhood and a day at Universal Studios with our niece.

My second visits to the California theme parks were quite refreshing. I experienced them this time with adult eyes and of course, there were brand new and updated attractions from my last visit. But I was no longer the bright-eyed eighteen-year-old with an eight-year-old heart. I was in my early thirties then, recovering from a painful ordeal. (I suffered from a miscarriage a few months before and my brother thought that having a change of environment and reliving a part of my childhood would help pull me out of the rut.)

It was also my husband’s first time to visit California like this (like a kid, I mean). He had been there on geological excursions as part of his university program when he was taking his Masters’ degree, but he had never gone there for leisure. As for theme parks, the last time he went was when he was about ten years old at Disneyworld Florida. So, in a way, he, too, was reliving his childhood.

As we enjoyed the rides and attractions, we temporarily set aside our adult concerns. We told ourselves, “Let’s just get lost in the moment, be like kids again, and forget about our worries.” We were two grown-ups healing from a recent loss and heartache, and what could be a better place than California to cheer us up.

Our next visit there would definitely be with our son. We had waited until he is old enough to remember precious family moments, mature enough to appreciate the fun and relaxed vibe of the city, and tall enough to get into all the crazy rides. Can’t wait!